Escape
by Chtulhu
Summary: They've been avoiding a conversation they know they must have. They've been been ignoring the events that have led them to where they are. It can't last forever. Nothing can last forever. Can it?  Strong AxH
1. Coming To Terms

"The only limit to my freedom is the inevitable closure of the universe, as inevitable as your own last breath. And yet, there remains time to create - to create, and escape.

Escape will make me god."

-Durandal

—

Artemis drummed his fingers on his desk anxiously, his eyes staring at a blank spot on the wall. Noticing what he was doing, he forced his hand to be still. '_Damnable habit'. _While officially cured, his brush with the Atlantis Complex had changed Artemis. Some of the changes, others argued, were good. Others served no purpose but to annoy him… and he wasn't sure if he agreed about the first set.

He hadn't absolved himself of his guilt, or cleared his regret from his thoughts and feelings, but he had come to terms with it. _'All I can do is attempt to make up for what I've done in the future.'_

The problem was, he wasn't exactly sure _how_ to make up for his actions. Holly had asked him, years ago, the fan the spark of decency within him, to grow it into a raging fire. But he wasn't sure that charity or works of good were really him, even with all that had changed since he had first met the fairy.

Nor did he know what he could do to make it up to those he had hurt personally. '_How do I make up for kidnapping, lying, and all of the other atrocities I've committed? How do I take what I've done to the people I care for, and fix things?'_

Artemis glanced at his watch, and his stomach lurched as he noticed the time. _'She'll be here soon.'_

He was dreading Holly's arrival. She had visited him nearly every day while he was under the care of Dr. Argon, but he had fled as soon as the doctor had given him the green light to leave his care. He was avoiding the eventual discussion he would have to have with Holly. About the things he had done. About lying to her. About the feelings for her that Orion had revealed he had. The prospect left him uncomfortable, and profoundly afraid in a way he had never felt before.

He commanded his stomach to steel itself, and prepared for the conversation to come.

—

She hovered outside his window, gusts of wind pushing her slightly through the air. She did little to correct the changes in her position, her focus too set on the boy - '_No, young man' - _she watched through the window.

It had been an uneventful two years. They had carried on while he was in treatment as if nothing had changed their easy friendship, ignoring past lies, ignoring the implications of Orion, and the ramifications of his illness. She had provided him with friendship, support, and the companionship he had needed to draw strength from, to overcome the Atlantis Complex.

But they had both known it couldn't last forever. _'Maybe it would have been better if we had discussed it back then. Letting it sit for this long… Will it make things worse? Or better? What's going to happen to us now?'_

She knew all to well that this coming discussion could change everything again, and with their shared tendency to insert their foots firmly into their mouths, that the chance was far higher than she would have liked.

A question came to mind that had kept her up at night many times, one that had surfaced with Orion. _'Just how strongly does he feel about me? Just how strongly do I feel about _him_?'_

She didn't know the answer to either question.

She took a deep breath, and then flow in through the window.

—

Artemis felt a small gust of wind and turned, unsurprised when Holly appeared in front of him. He smiled in spite of the nervousness he was feeling.

"Holly! It's good to see you."

Her lips twitched upwards as she replied. "Artemis. You look well."

He resisted the urge to look at himself in the mirror, or to straighten his hair.

"Thank you. I know that I've been getting better psychologically for a while… but it's done me good to get out of there. I don't think I would mind Haven in general, but two years of being kept in that ward around the clock… I had to leave. That's part of why I left so abruptly. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye properly."

She didn't ask him what the other part was. She was fairly sure she knew the answer.

Artemis didn't allow the unasked question hang in the air, instead awkwardly getting to his feet before tentatively scooping her into a hug. Her eyes widened momentarily in shock, but her expression softened, a smile tugging once more at her lips, as she returned the embrace.

"Are you sure you're cured? The great Artemis Fowl, initiating a hug? Now _this_ is either a new and improved version, or Orion is still hanging around in there somewhere."

"No… Just me. You know I've changed since _before_." He released her, and took a step back, his neck craned down t o look at her face.

'_I'm not going to let my fears rule me in this. I'm not going to let those that are precious to me get pushed away by my own insecurities.'_

Even though Holly couldn't tell what he was thinking, she could feel a certain resolve coming from him, in the set of his jaw, and the smoldering intensity in his eyes. His back was straight and his feet planted firmly on the ground.

She swallowed. _'What happened to that boy that kidnapped me? He's always been poised and collected… but this is different.' _She noticed, for the first time, the lean muscle that had built up over his time under Argon's care. With little to do while confined, he had taken to using the gym regularly.

"So…" she started.

He blinked, and then moved to the foot of his bed, sitting and motioning for her to follow him.

"We can't put this off forever, Holly."

"Put what off, Artemis?" she asked carefully.

"Holly, please. You know as well as I do that we need to discuss everything that's happened. Between us."

"I'm not sure what there is to discuss, Arty. Your elf kissing days are over, remember? You lied to me. And that hurt, Arty. It hurt a lot." '_Even if you might have been right to. Even if I might have done the same, in your position.'_

"That was atrocious of me, to be sure. But can't some allowance be made for the circumstances? I swear I'll do whatever I can to make it up for you, but you understand why I did it, don't you?"

She nodded stiffly.

"Then why…?" He trailed off.

She turned to face him, and reached out to grasp his face gently.

"Because, Arty, how can I be in a relationship that I can't trust?"

He frowned, but didn't let her words deter him. "Then give me a chance to prove myself. Certainly you know that I've changed. I haven't really had a choice in the matter. Between you, and dealing with my own… problems… I've grown."

'_In more ways than one,'_ she thought idly.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and then gave him a wan smile.

"The worst part about this, Arty, is that I believe you. I believe in you. Deep down, despite everything, I still do trust you… But that's part of the problem."

Now Artemis began to feel his composure slip. He waited, his heart thundering in his chest as she composed her thoughts to continue speaking.

"I've lived my life with constant heartbreak, Artemis. From losing my family, to the things you've done to me, and other things besides. People leave me before I'm ready to let go of them. And you… you would leave me faster than any of the others did."

"Holly, I would never - I lo - " he was cut off. Holly stood, and placed a finger over his mouth, and kissed him on the cheek. He saw tears glistening in her eyes.

"You're misunderstanding me, Arty. I mean… our lifespans. If I can still believe in you, still trust you, after all of this; it just goes to show how strong my feelings are for you. But if we pursued this, you'll leave me in 50 or 60 years. I'm still young by elf standards, Artemis. I've still got a millennia or longer in me Arty, and you don't even have a century."

He was silent, water welling up in his eyes. "So, you'd give this up. Won't you live the rest of your life wandering 'What if'? Can you live with that, Holly? Wondering what might have been"

"'What ifs' aren't what haunt me, Arty. It's the past. What I've lost. I'd keep and love the memories we would make, but for the rest of my life, I would be mourning the loss of what we had. How could I ever move on and get over the great Artemis Fowl?' She hoped the flattery would soften the blow she had delivered, but she knew that her words must have felt as hollow to him as they did to her.

He turned to her, his face blank. He put his hands on her shoulders, his grip firm, but careful. Suddenly his face was inches from hers, his breath hot on her face. She involuntarily licked her lips, a slight pout on her face.

As quickly as his face had appeared next to hers, his lips crashed against hers. She sat there, once again shocked by his actions. She flung her arms around him, responding to his advance, and bit down on his lower lip. His tongue darted against her lips, and she opened her mouth slightly, letting go of his lip and letting his tongue slip up against hers. This was nothing like the chaste kiss they had shared that day at the zoo. A quiet moan escaped her.

Her eyes widened, and then she pushed away from him, trembling.

"ARTEMIS! What in Frond's name are you doing?"

He stood, his face a bit flustered, his eyes downcast. "If my elf kissing days are over, I wanted one last go at it. Something to remember. To take to my relatively immanent grave." His voice contained more than a trace of bitterness.

"I should go. Before either of us does anything they'll regret." _'Me more than you.'_

"I'll see you around, Arty. As a friend."

"Friend." He said the word slowly, rolling it around in his mouth as if tasting it. Judging by the look on his face, whatever flavor it had was rancid.

He turned away from her, looking up at the ceiling.

"Holly…" he started, but when he turned to look, she was gone.

He sat at his desk, his mind wandering. '_I will not despair, for if I do, then I am lost._'

He opened the lid of his laptop, turning it on before speaking softly to himself.

"Menelaus launched a thousand ships and conquered Troy for Helen. Surely I can conquer death for Holly."

He got to work.

—

She flew towards Tara, tears streaming freely down her face. _'Stupid girl. Why can't you be brave when it matters? Why are you running? You love him. Why not accept it?'_

There was a small part of her hoping that he would contact her with his communicator, ask her to stop, to come back. Even accuse her of being a coward, and force her hand, force her to prove that she could be strong.

But the call never came, and the brave Captain Holly Short, fearless in the face of danger, undaunted by the prospect of trolls, armed mud men, or pixies bent on world domination, ran from the prospect of letting herself love someone. She ran as if you she fast enough, she could leave behind the feelings she had, as if it were possible to distance herself from feelings that filled her heart, and a face that filled her vision.


	2. Simple Problems, Simple Solutions

"We have exiled beauty; the Greeks took up arms for her."

-Albert Camus

—

Domovoi Butler was worried about his young charge. Not that it was necessarily a real change from how he usually felt about him - but instead of worrying for his physical safety, as was the norm, his concerns were now over his mental health.

Butler didn't fully understand the Atlantis Complex, and all of the effects it had wrought upon Artemis. He did know, however, that it had left Artemis unable to act completely rationally for the better part of two years. He seemed better now, and his first week back in the Fowl manor had seemed to go fine.

But then, something had changed. He had thrown himself into another project, with his usual intensity. He did little outside of working on it, stopping only to eat, spend an hour or two in the gym, and rarely, sleep.

Butler had approached him while he had been working out.

"I'm surprised to see you're still keeping up with this, now that you're out and have the world once again at your fingertips."

A ghost of a smile had flickered across his charge's face. "In some ways, I am too. But there are advantages to having both a strong mind and a strong body."

As Artemis moved to the weights, Butler made a small comment on his form. Artemis corrected himself, and then continued with his activities.

"What are you working on, Artemis? What's got you so focused? And are you OK? You seem more distant than you have in, well, years."

"Probably my most important project ever, old friend. The results are very much tied to my future happiness."

Butler frowned. "You're dancing around the subject. Do you think Holly and the others are going to approve of whatever this is? Just what is it you're up to?"

He knew it wasn't his place to question his employer like this, but his paternal feelings for the young man didn't let him leave the matter alone. As he mentioned Holly, he swore that he saw some emotion pass over Artemis's face, but it was gone as suddenly as it appeared.

Artemis paused, and the dumbbells he had been using hung limply at his side.

"I'm doing this for Holly. As for whether or not she would approve of it…" he shrugged, before resuming his lifting.

"I'm not sure she would appreciate you stealing the Hope diamond for her, or whatever it is you have planned. Miss Short seems to value your honesty and friendship more than anything material you could give her."

Artemis smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, just my honesty and friendship aren't enough for what I want. There are… other obstacles."

Butler had long ago deduced how strongly Artemis felt for the LEP captain, and had seemed sure that she felt the same way towards him. His frown deepened.

"She turned you down? Is there someone else she's seeing? Artemis, you can't… eliminate them, if that's the case."

Surprisingly, this caused Artemis to laugh. "Oh, come now, Butler. I'm not 12 anymore. You know that I've got no interest in killing anyone these days, short of self defense. And in any case, no, there's no one else in the picture. If only it were that simple."

"No," he continued, "the problem is more complex than that. I'm searching for something. For something that might not even exist. If theft were my plan, then I'd be attempting to steal the holy grail. If only it were real."

Artemis met Butler's eyes.

"This could be my greatest work, Butler. And my most challenging. In many ways, the most dangerous as well."

He placed the weights on the rack by the wall, before walking towards the doorway. He paused right before the hall, not turning to look back at Butler as he continued.

"_Fléctere si néqueo súperos Acheronta movebo." / If I cannot move Heaven, I shall bend Hell._

Butler's eyes flickered at the quote, and he watched Artemis walk stiffly away.

He spoke softly to himself, his mind racing as he attempted to decipher what the young man had planned. "_Improbe Amor, quid non mortalia pectora cogis?" / Oh tyrant love, to what do you not drive the hearts of men?_

—

"It's a simple problem," she told herself. "So it has a simple solution. When you want to get over someone, all it takes is time. Seeing other people can help."

She scowled at the mirror, her reflection unconvinced of her words. She wondered if repeating it enough would eventually make it true.

Her doorbell rang, and she walked from her bedroom to answer it. When she opened the door, she found Trouble Kelp, dressed up and flashing a dazzling smile.

"Holly! Shall we?"

She forced a smile, but if he noticed it was anything less than genuine, he didn't show it. He was talking, but she was unable to focus on the words coming out of his mouth, and instead just replied with short noncommittal answers.

The ride to the restaurant was uneventful, and by the time they arrived and were seated, Trouble had grown uncomfortable with the one sided conversation. They sat in awkward silence, staring at their plates.

She let out a sigh, her mind far away. The night passed in a blur, until she found them back at her apartment, Trouble walking her to the door.

"Good night, Holly."

"Good night, Trouble. Thank you for dinner." She started to reach for her keys, but noticed that Trouble seemed expectant.

"Is there something wrong, Trouble?"

His mouth twitched. "Ah, no. I was just wondering…"

"If you could come in for something to drink? Ah… I don't think so. I've had a long day, and I'd really just like to get some sleep."

"No problem." His smile returned, but this time, it seemed forced.

—

"N°1! Thanks for coming on such short notice. I know surface visas can be trying to get."

Artemis greeted the imp warmly, giving the diminutive demon a hug as he entered Artemis's office.

"It's been a while, Artemis! How are you? We haven't spoken since before you left Haven!"

Artemis gave him a ghost of a smile. "I've been making due. Some days are better than others, but what I'm working on now should hopefully resolve everything. And while it's brilliant to see you, that's actually why I've asked for you to come visit. I need your help."

The imp looked up at him with a smile on his face. "I'm always glad to help! This is about Holly, isn't it? I knew you two would end up an item!"

Artemis's mask slipped a little at this, but the imp was oblivious to it. "Well, I hope we do, my friend, but it's not so simple as that. She's worried about my rather pitiful human lifespan... But you know me. I always get what I want, don't I? Here's what I have in mind..."

N°1 approached the table Artemis was standing at curiously, hopping up on a chair so he could look at the work Artemis had already done.

—

Months passed. Money moved to and from Artemis Fowl's bank accounts. He spent days in video conferences with prominent biologists, nanotechnology researchers, and N°1. Hard drives filled up with notes, equations, designs, and plans. The surface near him always seemed to be overflowing the printouts, his script in the margins and written over sections he had crossed through.

He slept less and less, with more time passing between his meals. His family watched with concern, but didn't know what to do or say. He barely spoke to them, and more often then not, Butler had to take food to him so that he would remember to eat.

It had begun to take its toll on him. Artemis's skin was paler than ever, and his eyes were sunken. But it had all paid off. He held a syringe in his hand reverently, letting the light of the sun glint off of the glass tube.

He swallowed nervously. "Come now, Artemis. This is the simple part."

'_Not that simple always means easy. And I couldn't exactly go out and find test subjects for this, either.'_

He glanced again at the syringe, this time focusing on the large and hollow needle extending out from it. He took a deep breath, and plunged it straight into his heart.

—

Holly was miserable, and she knew that she really only had herself to blame for it. She was once again getting ready for a date with Trouble, and couldn't manage to find an answer as to why she was doing it.

"D'arvit. Neither of the other dates have gone well. I don't even know why he continues to ask me out."

She sighed. '_What's that Mud Man saying? Three strikes, you're out? It won't kill me to give him one last chance at this.'_

Her personal communicator blinked with a message, and she flipped it open, expecting it to be from Trouble, telling her that he was on his way. Instead, it was from an unknown sender.

'Need to talk to you. In person. Soon. Extremely important. RT'

'_RT?'_

She spoke it out loud. "RT… Arty."

Her heart leapt into her throat, but she calmly opened up her communicator and dialed Trouble's number.

"Hey, Trouble… I know this is last minute, but it's an emergency. I'm not going to be able to make it tonight…. No, no, it's nothing with me, just a friend. It's important… No, I can't really tell you what's going on. It's not my situation to talk about."

She paused for a second, listening to him speak on the other end of the line. "OK, thank you for understanding, Trouble. And I really am sorry about this. I'll talk to you soon…. Bye."

She ran to her closet and grabbed her shimmersuit and wings. She knew that using them while off duty would alert LEP to what she was doing, but the tone of the message left her worried.

'_This better be good, Artemis.'_

—

Trouble frowned at his communicator. Something about the way she had said sorry bothered him. It felt like there was more to it than a simple apology for having to miss dinner together.

He sat there contemplating things for some time, before connecting to the LEP offices on his communicator. Foaly wouldn't be there over the weekend, but one of his assistant techs would be.

"This is Commander Kelp. Could you tell me there whereabouts of Captain Short. Yes, I know she's off duty this weekend, so she shouldn't be using any of her gear. I'm not asking you to put some tracking device on her, just see if she's using any of it."

He didn't have to wait long.

"She's heading _where?_"

'_D'arvit Holly!'_

He began to get undressed, stopping in front of his closet to remove his LEP uniform.

"There goes my long weekend."

—

When she arrived, his room was dark. Unsure as to whether or not he was even in it, she flew in quietly. It wasn't until then that she noticed a small light on his nightstand, barely illuminating the room.

The light cast a warm glow over Artemis's sleeping face, and she stalked over to him, anger rising that he had sent her a message making this out to be an emergency, and then fallen asleep right after.

"Artemis! Wake up. You send for me, making it sound urgent, and then go to bed? What are you thinking!"

He stirred, eyes opening as he looked at hazily.

"Holly. I'm glad you could make it."

His voice was small and tired, but genuine. His hand went to his nightstand, pressing a button on a remote, causing the main lights in his bedroom turning on.

She squinted at the sudden brightness, but as her eyes adjusted, she took in Artemis. "Frond, Arty. You look awful. What's wrong? You look like this was the first time you've slept in weeks. Have you eaten today? Or yesterday, for that matter?"

He shook his head. "Not important right now, Holly. I'll be able to eat and sleep as much as I want soon, but I had to finish things. And I did."

"Finish what?"

A vampire smile graced his features, somewhat subdued by his general pallor. "Why, just the holy grail."

"Artemis, what are you talking about?" She reached out with her hand to touch his forehead, fearing a fever. "You're burning up. Do you even know what you're saying?"

His eyes met hers. "I'm quite aware. I'm fully coherent, Holly, and in full control of my mental and vocal faculties. What I'm attempting to tell you is that we can be together."

Her heart sank. "Artemis, we've been over this. I can't stand to lose someone so close to me again. I'll be heartbroken when you die as it is. I couldn't take it if we were together. It would break me. Please, stop bring this up."

"Hear me out. I'm telling you that isn't a problem. If there's anyone in this world who could find a way to cheat death, wouldn't it be me? There's not a problem out there I can't solve."

She eyed him skeptically. He didn't show any nervousness as he began to unbutton his shirt in front of her.

"What are you doing, -oh _d'arvit_ - Artemis, what happened? Let me heal you," she said, her hand moving towards his chest. He grabbed her wrist. She was shocked at what she saw. There was a festering hole in his chest, the skin barely scabbed over with pus.

"No. If you want to help me, go get my laptop, and then watch, carefully."

She nodded wordlessly, and went to his desk. The laptop was heavy, and large for even a human. Noticing her struggle, he called out "Sorry about that. I need the screen real estate for my work."

She muttered something under her breath before handing it to him. It was already on, so he unlocked it, and his fingers flew over the keyboard. Finishing his typing, he set the laptop down on the other side of him, and watched his wounded chest expectantly.

"I had to inject my heart directly. It didn't heal up properly, and got infected. I could have taken care of it, but realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to properly show you what I've done."

She gasped as the hole shrank before her eyes. She could tell there was no magic involved, and she was half convinced she was dreaming or hallucinating. It was as if someone was playing back a clip of acid eating away at skin, except in reverse. Within seconds, all that remained was new pink skin.

"Nanobots, mostly. The process of how to stop aging has puzzled scientists for decades. We have within us the complete pattern for replication. There's no reason that we should ever die, that our cells should stop splitting, as long as we nourish them and have the blueprint. Yet, they stop doing it. The copies are imperfect. Sickness and time take their toll on us, and break us down. But not with this."

"You see, at the end of chromosomes are telomeres. They ultimately create a limit on the amount of times a cell can divide. Before, scientists have attempted to change this limit, to turn the telomeres back on after they are disabled. Yet, this has generally resulted in mutations. Cancer, at the very least."

"These nanobots are essentially taking the place of telomeres. They can lengthen them, keep them going longer. And they also act as general purpose repairmen. They can help repair damaged cells, as well as fight infection and disease, among a myriad of other purposes."

"Holly, I've found out how to keep cells replicating endlessly. I can control the entire process. It's almost entirely human technology, with a few minor exceptions. I couldn't find a way to power them properly. We've got some theories and concepts about how to power nanobots inside the body, but none of them could produce a millionth of the power required for this."

"So I called for N°1. He was able to refill my magical supply, from when I stole it in the time stream. They run off of my magic... But outside of that, are purely human technology."

"Right now, I've only done enough work for me... But theoretically, anyone who can hold magic could benefit from this. Including you. It won't make you invincible, but it will stop sickness or age from ever being the death of you. The healing ability is extremely powerful as well - not quite as good as magic, but far more efficient, and completely passive."

"_Holly, not only will I not die before you, leaving you alone, but we could be together, quite literally, for forever."_

She listened to him quietly, trying to reconcile what he was saying with reality. _'There's no way what he's saying could be true. It's impossible. Nothing lasts forever, especially not living creatures. And yet... I just saw it at work. And he's right, smug as he is about it. If there's anyone that could do this, that could solve this problem, it would be Artemis Fowl.'_

He stared at her expectantly, his eyes smoldering once more with the intensity she had seen from him months ago, when she had fled. The bags under his eyes had disappeared, and what color he had returned to his face. Her eyes widened in shock. _'The nanobots?'_

"I promise you, Holly. Everything I'm saying is true. This isn't a lie I would be able to keep to anyone, even if I was capable of lying to you properly. You'd find out in a few years, when I continued to noticeably age."

She grabbed hold of his hands with hers, lacing their fingers together. A smile lit up her face as she realized how tiny her hand and fingers were in comparison with his, and how preposterous it looked.

"Alright, Arty. I don't know about all of this, and I certainly don't know if I want you to do it to me... But it sounds like we've got time now to figure it out. Lots of time."

He sat all the way up, and pulled her into his lap. The mask he had been wearing cracked, and relief washed over his face. Relief, and happiness. She noted, however, that his eyes remained intense. Feeling them on her caused her spine to shiver, in a not altogether unpleasant way.

This time, she was the one that initiated the rough kiss.

—

Trouble arrived with two LEPrecon officers just in time to see Artemis pull her against him and the pair begin to kiss. His mind went blank with anger.

'_Simple problem. Simple solution.'_

He and the two recon members dropped their field of invisibility, catching the elf and mud boy by complete surprise.

"Captain Holly Short, you are under arrest. You are charged with the crimes of theft and appropriation of police equipment, trespassing on the surface without a proper visa, and... And..." He sputtered, "Fraternizing with the enemy! You'll be coming with us. Now. And you," he pointed to Artemis, his voice dripping with vehemence, "_we will deal with later._"

/

AN- These days, I'm not a huge fan of author's notes, since you can now reply directly to reviews and such, but I'll make an exception here. Alchemechanist called me out on some science issues – it looks like I should have done my research better. I've made a few minor edits, added a paragraph, and hopefully gotten everything to a point where it makes a bit more sense for those of you with some understanding of cellular biology. Next update might take a while – in the process of moving, which I'm being exceptionally lazy about. I'll blame it on the Texas heat.


	3. Unrestrained

AN: Sorry for the late update and short chapter. I've been _really _busy at work, and having to move on top of it!

—

"Those who restrain desire, do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained; and the restrainer or reason usurps its place and governs the unwilling.

He who desires and acts not, breeds pestilence"

-William Blake

—

Holly gave trouble an angry stare. "Fraternizing with the enemy? What does that even mean? And how is Artemis an enemy? He's a friend of the People. Are you really going to arrest one of your best officers for visiting a friend?"

Trouble frowned, bur her stare caused him to attempt to collect himself. "You're not above the law, Holly. You can't just break the rules."

"It was an emergency, Trouble. Artemis was wounded." She wasn't above bending the truth, slightly. She pushed Artemis down, gently, before standing to face the Commander. Artemis let himself fall back onto the bed, but took the opportunity to press a button on the side of his nightstand.

"So he needed you to heal him? Doesn't he have his own doctors he could go to?"

"Trouble, I'm not going to abandon a friend when they need me. I'm not going to apologize for what I did." Her stance was solid and her expression steely as she faced the commander. "How many times has he been there when we've had an emergency? How many times have we called on him to help us when we couldn't do it on our own?"

"Nearly as many times as he's been the source of our problems, I suppose," Trouble replied flatly, his face going blank and unreadable.

"Are you going to live in the past? People change, and Artemis's actions have been plenty of proof of that! When was the last time he did anything to harm us? Years ago! And I know that that amount of time may not be a whole lot to one of us, but on a human scale, years are a lot of time to change."

The LEP officers Trouble had brought with him looked at each other uncomfortably. It certainly seemed as if this was a personal matter, rather than an actual situation requiring their presence. Their opinion changed slightly when a mountain of a man rushed in through the doorway, the door slapping against the wall with a bang.

"Artemis! What's wrong? Holly? And… Commander Kelp? What's going on here?"

"A bit of a personal dispute, old friend, and one that _someone_ seems to have escalated to a point that might get violent. Commander Kelp seems rather jealous that Holly hasn't asked 'How High' when he said jump!"

Before Butler had a chance to respond, Holly turned her angry stare to him. "Artemis! You're not making the situation any better. Stop being smug for a moment while we figure this whole mess out!"

The LEP recon officers shifted nervously, their hands resting on their neutrinos. "Uh, Commander, is all of this really necessary? Can't she just file a report when she gets back to Haven?"

Trouble blinked. "Yes, you're right. OK. We'll sort this out back at Haven," he paused, looking at Holly expectantly. "Well? Aren't you coming?"

Her stare went from one of anger to incredulous confusion. "You expect me to just leave with you after that? _You just tried to arrest me, Trouble!"_

"Well, I'm not trying to arrest you any more. But it's time to go back, Holly, and that's an order."

She threw up her hands in anger. "I'm not going anywhere right now, Trouble. I've got things to deal with up here! I'll be back in a day or so, and you can send me through however much of a paperwork hell as you want then!"

"That's simply not acceptable, Holly. You need to return to Haven with us now."

Butler chose this moment to step in, placing himself between Trouble and Holly. His demeanor was calm, but as he towered over average height humans, it would be hard to claim that it was not at least a little nerve wracking for the shorter fairies.

"I believe the lady has said that she has no intention of going anywhere at this time. Now, Artemis has always been more tied up in the actual politics of the People far more than I have, and I try to limit my interactions in said politics to pulling him out of the fire when he invariably ends up in it, but Captain Short is a friend, and I'm not going to let you take her against her wishes over whatever this dispute is. Let this go, Commander. There's no need to make a scene."

Trouble's blasé attitude dropped as quickly as it had appeared, and he once again seemed uncertain. He hadn't planned on having to deal with the boy's bodyguard, and he wasn't sure that he wanted too, now that he was faced with it as a very real possibility.

His hand shifted down to grasp the butt of his neutrino, a motion that didn't go unnoticed by Butler. Trouble could feel the man's eyes watching his every move, and he forced himself to relax after jerking his hand away.

Artemis watched the exchange impassively, moving only to place one of his hands on Holly's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Her hand drifted up to his absent-mindedly, eyes glued on the scene unravelling in front of them.

Trouble turned to glare at Artemis, and the words he wanted to speak were written plainly across his features. '_This is all your fault.'_

Artemis was almost able to resist the urge to smirk. Trouble's face tightened with fury before turning to face the officers he had brought with him.

"It's time for us to go. Now."

As Trouble and the LEP officers flew off into the night, Holly let out a long sigh, and Butler turned to face his younger charge and the diminutive LEP captain, his eyebrow raised in a question that he didn't have to voice.

Artemis gave an uncharacteristic shrug. "It's a bit of a long story, Domovoi. I'll fill you in on all of the details later."

The huge bodyguard nodded, before asking a final question. "Business related?"

Artemis frowned slightly, his gaze wandering into the night outside of his open window. "No. I'm afraid this one is purely personal."

Artemis's hand dropped from Holly's shoulder, before finding her hand hanging at her side. Her fingers intertwined in his.

Butler noticed this too, and was unable to keep a small twitch of a smile off of his face.


End file.
